Blue Phoenix
by pokemax34
Summary: When a 13-year-old boy who was once under the Mask of Ice enters the lives of Red and his friends, they accept him, but two remain skeptical. My first fanfic, rated T to be safe. Feedback is greatly appreciated. CHP.10 is up.
1. Chapter 1: The Giant Tremor

The tremors from the earthquake that night shook the whole planet. With a loud crash, the earth began to shake, shooting out pulses of high energy that rocked the nearby houses. After the tremors ceased, the citizens of the towns ran out, sweating with fear and breathing heavy breaths.

Viridian City was one of those cities. The cold night was nearly instantaneously illuminated by the lamplights inside the houses. The citizens walked the streets, finding what could have been total devastation of the city. Luckily for them, the houses were merely rocked – nothing more so.

The ground was unbroken, the light poles unmoved by the heavy tremors. People, relieved by the lack of damage but shocked at the force of the tremor, all sighed with relief.

That is, until they looked north.

The Viridian Forest Pokémon were rushing out and into the city. Within a few short moments, the city was over run by the terrified Pokémon. As the townspeople looked up at the trees of the Viridian Forest, they found what they feared – fire.

"Everyone! Stand back, all of you!" shouted a man from the northern end of the city. "We must not panic! No one must go in there!" What had been tranquility after a disaster became panic. People shrieked in fear and ran around aimlessly, dodging the already terrified Pokémon.

"W-What!?" Yellow yelled, still drowsy from being woken up so abruptly this early in the morning. "B-But...there are..."

"No, by all means, you can't go in there!" the man said quickly. "I'll go in there myself!" The man was about to get up and go, but Yellow pulled him back. She grabbed him strongly and glared at him.

"Blue and Sapphire are in there! If I don't go in and save them, then who will!? So let me go!"

"No! I will, under no circumstances, lose you! I won't...let you do this, Yellow! You have to understand, as my niece, I can't lose you! I won't lose you! And if I do, then...then..." the man trailed off. Yellow, with tears welling up in here eyes, let go of her uncle.

"...You're right. I'll go get someone who can."

"All right. It's Red, right? That boy you've been..."

"Dad!" Yellow shouted, but with humor. "Don't go there! But yes, I'll be getting him. But Uncle, I want you to know – I can go by myself. You don't have to come with me."

"All...all right. Be careful, now. We people are going to clean up things here." Wilton said.

"Ok, Uncle! I'll be back as soon as I can."


	2. Chapter 2: Problems in Pallet

"Professor Oak! Is everything all right in here?" Red asked as he ran into the dark laboratory. Professor Oak turned on the light and responded. He looked like a nervous wreck, with sweat getting in his bloodshot eyes.

"Yes, I'll be all right. I wonder what was with that giant tremor. Something must have crashed into the earth at a fantastic speed. I only hope everyone up in Viridian City is all right..." Professor Oak said. He looked around, surveying the clutter that the tremor created. The floor was covered with science books, whether it was old ones, new ones, or even pages from books. They were splattered all over the floor. Not a speck of the tiled floor could be seen through the books. The machines seemed unharmed, the Pokeballs undamaged, and the tables unmoved. Red calmed down at the sight and helped Professor Oak re-stack all the books on the shelf and put the Pokeballs back in their rightful places.

"Hey, Gramps! Are you all right!?" Green shouted from outside as he pounded his fist on the door of the laboratory. Professor Oak quickly opened the door as his grandson ran inside.

"Yes, nothing's hurt. You, Green?"

"A few minor scrapes. They're from falling off the bed during the tremors. I wouldn't worry," Green said, reassuringly. "The whole town's gathered up there. They're all up there to survey the damage, if any."

"Aren't Blue and Sapphire up there too?" Red asked Green. Green hesitated, but then replied:

"Yes. I think they're training up there. Or at least that's what Blue told me. I honestly don't know why she would go up there to train." Red nodded and continued to stack books. It was a slow process, in what seemed like hours was only a few minutes. Their progress was satisfactory, for now they could walk about the laboratory without stepping on books or slipping on a Pokeball. As about half an hour passed, Red went outside to help the citizens of Pallet Town look for any damage.

After Red returned, the books were still not completely stacked, and Pokeballs still remained on the tiled floors. Red came inside the lab and told Green and Professor Oak of what he had learned.

"There doesn't seem to be damage anywhere, that I know of. Sure, the dark makes it so the damage is hard to see, but we've felt around, and there doesn't seem to be any damage or anything requiring our immediate concern," Red told the two. Professor Oak smiled.

"I'm glad. With a tremor that large, you would have thought that something would be damaged," Professor Oak said. He bent down and began to pick up the last of the books.

"I also heard that there's a fire going up in the Viridian Forest. I only heard this from one person, so I can't honestly be sure that there really is. But if there is, I hope Yellow's –" Red said with worry.

"And Blue too..." whispered Green with even more anxiety. He began to pick up the last of the Pokeballs, but Red could tell that he was definitely worried about Blue's safety. But what about Sapphire? Was anybody anxious about her safety? Red decided not to bring it up. Now wasn't the time for embarrassing questions.

Especially when _she_ came through the door.

"Red! The Viridian Forest – it's on fire!" Yellow screamed with fright. Red, startled, jerked his head over to the exit. Yellow, on her knees and panting, tried again to get her message to Red.

"Red...gasp...the rumors you heard...gasp...they're true...gasp...the Viridian Forest...gasp...is on fire!" Yellow said before collapsing. Red gasped and picked up Yellow. Before Red even noticed, Green had darted out of the laboratory and was headed for the Viridian Forest.

"Green! No! You...ugh, I hate how hasty he acts..." Professor Oak spoke softly.

"Yellow! Can you hear me? Speak to me!" Red shouted anxiously. Yellow opened her eyes slowly, got her bearings, and looked back at Red.

"Sorry Red, for worrying you. It seems that the smoke has taken a toll on me. But there's more important things. Blue and Sapphire...they're in there! You know, they were training. I hope they're fine..." Yellow whispered. "I didn't know who else to turn to, and I figured you and Green would be here. Come on, Red, we've got to get Blue and Sapphire out of there before the whole forest is incinerated!"

"Yeah, I figured that there was a fire. Let's hurry and catch up to Green."

Red and Yellow ran out the door, as Professor Oak was left to clean up the rest of the laboratory by himself. As they ran up the road to Viridian City, they saw the smoke from the forest fire slowly creep up from the illuminated horizon. Within a few minutes, they had managed to get back to Viridian City, where it seemed that Wilton managed to restore order within the townspeople. People were still breathing heavily out of fear and the lack of oxygen that this fire was creating.

"Yellow! You're back! You got Red?" Wilton asked Yellow hurriedly.

"Yup! We're all ready to go in," Yellow replied.

"Good. Red, keep a good eye out for her and make sure that she doesn't get lost. Please."

"No problem, I will," Red said. "By the way, have you seen Green pass by here, by any chance?"

"The kid with the black shirt and orange-brown hair? Yes, I've seen him. Went into the forest, he did. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away and ran straight in there."

"What!?" Red shouted, his jaw dropping. "Why!? He knows very well that he can't do this by himself! I can't believe he did this!" Red tried to calm himself down. He turned to Yellow and said, "Yellow, we have to save three people now. You ready?"

"All set, Red! Let's go in there," Yellow replied with an encouraging enthusiasm. And they ran into the blazing Viridian Forest, as the frightened townspeople watched their silhouettes fade in the orange glow of the fire.


	3. Chapter 3: Viridian Rescue Mission

"HOT!" Sapphire screamed as she ran around the forest in a panic. Blue was struggling to try to put the fire out with the water from her Blastoise. From where they were, they could see the whole internal area of the forest in the deep red flame, as the trees began to turn as black as a Banette. The trees seemed to cry out in pain right before they toppled on the scorched ground and destroyed themselves and other surrounding trees. With every toppled tree, there was a stab in the hearts of Blue and Sapphire as they continued to try to salvage as many areas as possible. They cared not for their own safety, but for the Pokémon within.

...At least Blue did.

"Sapphire! Stop running around like a crazed maniac and help! Bring out something! Hurry! We have no time to waste!" Blue yelled at the terribly frightened Sapphire. Sapphire fiddled inside he pockets, fumbling with her Pokéballs over and over again. The panic began to seep in further into her mind. Once she caught a hold of the ball , Sapphire instantly threw the Pokéball.

"Trop!" screamed the Tropius as it popped out of the Pokéball. The Tropius then bawled out in pain when the fire touched its wing. As it fell, it crushed all the trees in its vicinity. Being a tall Pokémon, it just about did twice the amount of damage that Blue's Blastoise had tried so desperately hard to salvage. The Tropius was immediately called back by Sapphire.

"...Crud. Why'd I do that!" Sapphire moaned with regret.

"We have no time for regrets, Sapphire! We have to figure out a plan that'll douse the fire!" Blue shouted desperately, but encouragingly at Sapphire. However, the recriminated Sapphire had her head hung down in shame.

"This is my fault...I shouldn't have called Chaka on to attack that thing. I'm such...a fool..." Sapphire sobbed as she ducked her head to her knees. Blue watched her with sympathy as Sapphire sobbed for what seemed like forever.

Blue's Blastoise just then tired out and fell over. The Blastoise was panting heavily while the fire continued to rage, eventually burning what little piece of the forest the Blastoise had managed to salvage. Blue took a while to take in Turtley's failure, but when she did, she lost her rag.

"Oh, that's it! I give up!" Blue whined. "This is pointless! We are going to leave now, NOW! You're there, sulking the eyes out of your sockets, not helping me at all! This mess...you created it all! You're right!" Sapphire looked up at her, as her vision began to be blurred with teardrops. Then Blue said something that got Sapphire's goat.

"You've killed the Viridian Forest! How could you!" Sapphire, with fire now in her eyes, stood up and grabbed Blue tightly.

"How dare you! Chaka was just trying to defend herself! You have the guts to tell me that I killed the Viridian Forest! If anything, your selfish actions destroyed this forest! If you had Turtley attack the thing, this never would have happened! But all you care about is the safety of yourself and your Pokémon! I commend you for your faithfulness to your Pokémon, but due to this, all of us might die here!" Sapphire shouted. Blue rebounded and grabbed Sapphire. She struggled against Blue's strength, but she was unable to move her.

"Hah! You're funny, Sapphire, you know that! I killed the Viridian Forest! Now that's comedy!" Blue shouted with an obvious sarcastic tone. Then, Blue's grip grew tighter.

"If you hadn't told me to come here in the first place, this never would have happened! YOU are the selfish one. You just had to fight that thing with FIRE, didn't you! Burn the thing down! Now, look! Your misguided actions led this forest to ruin!"

"I didn't mean it!" Sapphire screamed. "I just wanted to protect the forest from that meteor! I just wanted...I wanted...to help..." Blue calmed down and let go of the struggling Sapphire. Blue turned away from her and looked into the burning wreckage. Blue called Turtley back into the Pokéball and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sapphire. But it's not going to work. Turtley is exhausted, and this fire is raging way out of control," Blue sympathized. Sapphire looked back.

"I...know, Blue, but I wish we could have done something about this. I just wanted to save the place from that object...that meteor."

"Yeah, I agree. Let's hurry, we don't have much time. The fire's starting to seep into this area," Blue urged. The two girls started to run for the exit, when they ran into Yellow and Red. All four of them fell down at the force of the impact.

"Whoa!" Red shouted. "Blue! Sapphire! Are you guys all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Were you coming to get us out of here?" Sapphire asked.

"Yeah, and don't worry about the Pokémon. They're already out of the forest, so you don't have to worry about them," Yellow confirmed. Blue sighed with relief.

"That's good. We have to get out of here soon, Turtley's exhausted," Blue said. They all got up and ran out.

"Blue, have you seen Green anywhere around here?" Red asked. Blue jumped in shock.

"What! He's in here!" Blue shouted.

"Yes, he is," Yellow said. "Originally, we were just looking for you two. But then he ran in here to look for you." Blue looked truly shocked.

"Really...so he does...care..." Blue whispered, blushing.

"There's the exit! Come on, guys!" Red shouted.

The four ran out of the forest as the timber burned more fiercely and trees began to topple as the wood turned black and crumbled. The ground became charred and there seemed that there wasn't a single area in the forest that wasn't affected. The smoke became thicker, but the group managed to get out of the forest. By the time they were all out, they were choking and coughing and were covered in black dust.

"Yellow! You're OK! Am I relieved!" Wilton shouted happily as he took his niece into his arms. Professor Oak was there as well, along with Green, who was covered with black dust in the face.

"Green? What happened? You suddenly ran out on us back at the lab!" Red shouted. Green clutched his arm and replied: "I didn't think there was much time until..." Red didn't catch the rest of the sentence. Then, with a gasp and a murmur, the townspeople and the five kids watched as the Viridian Forest went up in flames. They all bowed their heads down in despair.

"Long live..." a man whispered, "...the Viridian Forest." The last tree was engulfed by the flames.


	4. Chapter 4: Viridian Rescue Mission 2

Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Sapphire all spent the night at Wilton's house. Most of them were unable to sleep well, for they would look out the window and remember how close they were to death when they were in that forest. The forest had already burned out, for an overnight rainstorm along with the firemen had put the fire out. Once the fire had been extinguished, they all were able to relax. The problem was, by then, it was already 5:30 A.M.

"Psst. Blue," Green whispered. Blue was awake, but her eyes were nearly closed. "Can you...hear me?"

"Yeah. I hear you," Blue whispered back. "What is it?"

"What...was that thing in the sky? You said that there was a meteor...but...what if it's not?"

This question struck Blue like a bomb. She wasn't sure why, but that question just seemed odd. She never really thought about it in depth.

"I...don't know, really. Why? Is something the matter about it?"

"I was just wondering. I get some vibe that it's something...important. I think we should check it out. You know...just to check. I can't help but wonder about it, and it's the reason I can't sleep at all. So, what do you say, Blue. You want to come?"

"...Sure, Green. Just be sure not to wake anybody."

It was 6:00 A.M. in the morning. Red was outside to clear his head of the morning's upheaval, Sapphire was having a nightmare, and Yellow was asleep. Blue and Green continued to slowly move across the room, until a slight creak roused Yellow.

"Wha...fwaaaaaaah...are you guys doin'?" Yellow asked, still drowsy. Green hesitated on thinking of an excuse, for if someone figured out what they were doing, they would try to stop them. However, Blue managed to bail him out.

"Yellow, we are going to see how Red's doing. Yes, that's it! He hasn't been sleeping well, so he went outside to clear his head. We just want to check on him. Alright? So don't worry, Yellow. Go back to sleep. You deserve some rest," Blue whispered.

"Oh," Yellow said, yawning in between. "Do what ya gotta do, then." Yellow stretched her arms and collapsed backwards on the mattress. Green sighed.

"That was brilliant, Blue!" Green whispered. Blue blushed.

"Well...it wasn't that much," Blue said as her face turned even redder.

Blue and Green walked through the aisle towards the door, keeping an eye out for Red and Wilton. They slowly tiptoed across the town, for if people saw them, it would cause a commotion. Most of them were asleep from the long night. The dawn was cold and dreary with no illumination. It was terribly foggy, but the charcoal blackness of the Viridian Forest made it easy to spot.

The two went into the forest in which they were both in that morning. The sun was covered by the rainclouds, and the charred leaves were covered by the soft caress of the morning dew. The charred ground became a black, thick mud. The two stepped around it. Once, Green stepped in a mud puddle and almost sank. Blue pulled him out, though. They were especially careful to watch for these mud puddles now.

Blue and Green went to where Blue had described this phantom object had fallen. Retracing the meteor's path, Blue hypothesized where the object had landed.

"It should be somewhere around here. It's just a hunch, but...I get a feeling that it's around here," Blue whispered. Green looked around until he eventually saw what he was looking for. There was a huge incline next to the path that Green and Blue were walking on.

"Blue, look! Over there!" Green whispered loudly. Blue looked over and saw a huge crater in the black mud. The two slid down the muddy hole and went over into a thing in the center of the crater.

"What...is that?" Blue wondered. The thing was moving slowly. Blue and Green both jumped back as the thing continued to squirm. It rolled around, jumped slightly, until it stopped moving and began to pulsate. The outer edges of the thing inflated and deflated, pushing of mud from its sides. There was also another smaller thing further toward the edge of the crater that wasn't moving at all, from their perspective. The thing in the center eventually got up after nearly five minutes of struggling. It was winged and blue, but had patches of black around it from the mud. It was...

"A Latios! Why is there a Latios there!?" Blue shrieked. The Latios limped towards Green and Blue before collapsing on the sodden ground. It was heavily breathing and was needing urgent assistance. Each breath from the Latios came out as a shrill shriek. It no longer possessed the strength to push itself up again.

"...H-help..." the smaller figure whimpered from far away. Green stayed with the Latios as Blue ran towards the other figure. This figure wasn't a Pokémon, it was a human boy. He was holding a broken mask, one that seemed quite familiar. The boy didn't move his arms or legs, but he was able to move his head. He moaned for help from Blue. Blue shrieked again.

"Green! This thing's a boy! He's really hurt!" Blue called. Green ran from the Latios and looked at this boy, also covered in the thick, black mud. He was wearing a blue coat with a navy blue shirt, stained by the scorched and soaked mud. He clutched Blue softly, and Blue tried to escape.

"P-Please...I...help..."the boy begged miserably. Blue, who had attempted to run, walked back and felt his arm. The boy looked wretched and mangled. The muddy boy whispered:

"I...help...Mask...I..." The boy then went unconscious. Blue gasped.

"Green, we got to get this kid to Viridian City!" Blue screamed, no longer caring if anyone heard. Green was taken aback.

"What!? We can't take this guy back! Moving him would cause more pain anyway!" Green yelled.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, he's unconscious!" Blue shouted. The Latios screeched at Blue and Green when they began to drag him out of the thick mud. Blue looked back at Latios, who had an angry glare in its eyes. Soon enough, the Latios's head collapsed again.

"Green, it's no use!" Blue shouted. Green looked at her.

"What...do you mean?" Green asked. "You are not calling for help! If we do, everyone will know that we came here!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Blue said. Green objected, but then submitted.

"Very well, Blue. Very well." Blue ran towards the exit of the forest. She stepped in mud puddles here and there, but she managed to pull herself out. She was running fast enough to not sink in one. Once she arrived in Viridian City again, she ran to Wilton's house. Checking her watch, it was already 7:10 A.M. Red, Yellow, Sapphire, and Wilton must be waking up already.

"Guys?" Blue whispered, incase they were still asleep. "Hey, guys!" There was no response. Suddenly, the door opened behind her. Standing at the doorway was Red.

"Blue!? What are you doing here?" Red asked angrily. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Red! I can't explain now, but Green and I were in the Viridian Forest, and we found a boy and his Latios in there! I think they're the meteor!"

"You were in the Viridian Forest!?" Red shrieked. "Blue, as much as I'd like to chastise you right now, we have to get that kid! Is Green still in there?" Blue nodded in affirmative, and the two went to the Viridian Forest again.


	5. Chapter 5: The Wilton Blue Duel

"So, Blue," Wilton said firmly, "How would you like to explain this whole situation? Did you really think that you could get away with this?" Blue hung her head down, not daring to avert her gaze from the floor. Wilton waited silently for an answer as the unconscious boy lay on Wilton's bed. He was still breathing heavily, but his eyes would not open.

"I heard from Red that you were in there. You thought that no one would see anything, but Red tells me that he saw Blue run out of there. Is that so?" Wilton asked. Blue looked at Red.

"Red! Why..." Blue loudly whispered. Red's blank expression remained so.

"You didn't think I wouldn't tell him, did you?" Red asked. "It would have been foolish of me to not tell him. We could have lost you again, after all the trouble we went through to save you." Blue stood up, and was about to throw a punch at Red, but Yellow stopped her.

"Whoa, Blue, hold it!" Yellow shouted. "He was just trying to do the right thing! And you can't blame someone for -" Yellow was cut off by Blue as she pulled her fist back again and was about to throw another punch, but this time Wilton, with an angry cry, slapped Blue across the face. Yellow stuttered backwards in shock.

"How dare you! Throw a punch at the person who saved your life! If you thought for one second that you could punch my niece and get away with it, you're sadly mistaken!" Wilton shouted with fury. Blue lay on her knees on the floor, holding her cheek tenderly. After what seemed like hours of silence, Green stood up to the raging Wilton.

"Please, Wilton. This is my fault. I asked her to go into the Viridian Forest in the first place. If anything, you should be shouting at me," Green said somberly. Wilton looked away from Blue and glared at Green.

"So it was you who convinced her, eh?" Wilton shouted. "And what, may I ask, did you think you would accomplish by that?" Green stood his ground and answered firmly.

"I just went in there to find out what that phantom meteor was. If I had told anyone, they would have stopped me. That's why we lied. We lied to Yellow about checking on Red. But there was no harm done, sir, and I think that we ought to-" Suddenly, Wilton pushed Green backward into the wall. Green struck the wall with his back and fell forward onto the ground. Blue ran to help him, but Wilton grabbed her as well and pushed her back to where she had been laying.

"How dare you think you could lie to us and get away with it! If you had merely told us, then we may have let you go, but this is absolutely unacceptable!" Wilton shouted at Green while he lay face down on the rugged floor. Green pushed himself up, but was knocked down by Wilton again.

"Uncle! Please, stop! This has gone too far!" Yellow screamed. Wilton glared at her now with such a fierceness that made Yellow cringe in fear.

"Wilton, sir, as much as I am glad that you are punishing them, you don't have to go to theis extremity..." Red said. Wilton glared at him as well, but unlike yellow, Red stood his ground.

"Oh, so that's it! You're all against me! Is that so!? Well, Sapphire, are you going to be the one to make that unanimous!? Or will I actually have an ally in this foolish fight!?" Wilton shouted. Sapphire, cringing in fear, quickly joined Red and Yellow. Wilton growled at all of them

"So, I'm against all of you. Very well! Green, I''l give you one chance. Apologize now, and we'll end this fight! Or am I to have to defy all five of you at once?" Wilton asked angrily. Green got up from the ground that he had been so cruelly slapped down upon. With scratches on his face, he replied.

"I'm sorry. For lying. I'm not sorry that we entered the Viridian Forest. That is all I'll compromise, Wilton. Take it, or let us go," Green said softly, but fiercely. Wilton's tension in his eyes began to leave him. His fists opened, his head's wrinkles vanished, and his anger dissipated. Wilton sighed, stood up, and faced the window. There was an ominous silence for what seemed like hours, wile all five children watched him with fear as Wilton stared at the sun as it slowly rose over the horizon. Fianlly, Wilton spoke.

"You and my younger self, there's a lot in common between the two. I was a risk taker myself. The devil in disguise, my parents even called me. I was told what to do and what not to do and whichever the answer, I would do it. But I later learned that life is full of surprises. If I do something that I was told not to do, then life may throw a twist and cause a few broken bones. Just like the time I broke my arm in the Celadon Department Store."

"How did you do that?" Green asked, with interest.

"Well, let me put it this way: keep your body in the elevator when the door closes," Wilton replied somberly. Green winced at the unimaginable pain that Wilton must have felt.

"The point is, Green," Wilton continued, "That no one is going to tell you what you should do or shouldn't do. People who tell you that simply care about you. And I care for your safety, Green. So I won't chastise you for this. But the next time you have to make a decision, Green, think of the consequences. Don't act rashly. Act rationally. Remember that." Green nodded his head in affirmative. Wilton smiled.

"Well, now that we have that settled that, you all must be starving! I'll whip up some breakfast while you wash up," Wilton said as he walked into the kitchen.

All of the children ate ravenously as the plates were set before them. They shoveled the food up their mouths and chewed quickly. Wilton smiled at the scene.

"Well, I knew you were starving! But it looks like you're all full now," Wilton said, staring at the kids who had just ate their meal. They lay on the ground with contented expressions with their stomachs bulging out a few inches. Wilton laughed nervously.

"Hey, I'm hungry!"

Wilton gasped with fear. "How!? How can you still be hungry!?" Sapphire quizzically looked at the others as they looked quizzically back. Wilton couldn't fathom who might have said that.

"Hey! Over here! Food!"

Wilton still looked around, not finding anybody who seemed remotely hungry.

"Over here! Are you blind!?" the voice shouted. Wilton finally looked to his left, finding the unconscious boy. Except now, he wasn't unconscious.

"Whoa! Ha, I guess I didn't see you there. You were so silent that I forgot that you were there!" Wilton laughed. The boy steamed.

"Hey, he's awake!" Blue noticed. "Are you all right? We found you passed out in the Viridian Forest."

"No...I'm not. I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, and my limbs are hurting me!" he shouted. "Sorry, I just get a little peevish when I'm hungry. I wouldn't act like this normally."

"That's no problem," Yellow said sweetly. "What's important is that you regained consciousness." The boy looked around and saw Blue and Sapphire.

"Hey...you're the two who attacked me!" the boy shouted angrily. Sapphire jumped back in shock.

"What!? I...oh, right," Sapphire said, embarrassed. The boy glared at them.

"If it weren't for you two, I may not have caused such a big tremor!" the boy shouted.

"What!? I'm afraid I don't follow. You're the one who caused that tremor?" Red asked, confused. Wilton diverged into this confusion.

"Just hold it for a moment here!" Wilton shouted. "I think we are all needing assistance. I'll whip him up some breakfast. Then," Wilton then pointed at the boy, "He'll have some explaining to do."


	6. Chapter 6: Confessions of a Masked Man

The boy devoured his food in a matter of seconds. Literal seconds. After the boy had finally swallowed the last bit of his meal, he sat down on his bed.

"Thank you so much, sir," the boy said to Wilton. "I don't deserve this sort of treatment." The boy, as promised, began to tell about his past, not before belching once.

"Well, first off, my name is Azure. I used to live in Sootopolis City. My sister and I lived with my mother in the city. As for my dad...I don't know his whereabouts. But I prefer not to mention him, for every time I do, I..." the boy said. Azure wiped his eyes with his coat sleeve, and continued.

"Well, my mother and my sister were out one morning, and I couldn't wonder where. I remember that day...it was 9 years back, I believe. It was raining hard, after what seemed like a perfectly sunny day the day before. I got my coat and when I got outside, the whole town was gathered out there, even Juan and Wallace."

***FLASHBACK***

"W-What's going on here!?" the young Azure shouted with an inextinguishable fear. He saw all of the citizens of Sootopolis City stare up at the sky with a fearful awe. Looking up, Azure saw the matter.

Up flew Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus fighting it out to the death. Dialga shot through the air, crying in pain, as it crashed down in the lake, and Palkia was hit by Giratina's Shadow Force. Arceus galloped high up in the air as it shot a Blizzard at the weakened Dialga. Dialga shot a Draco Meteor back in its defense, causing a cataclysmic explosion in the air. From the lake, Palkia rose up to attack Giratina, but was stopped by something wrapped around its leg.

"Kingdra! Draw it back in!" Juan shouted. The Kingdra pulled down on the Palkia, before it was attacked by Arceus's Twister and fell back into the lake. Palkia, enraged, thrust a Spacial Rend attack on Arceus. Arceus was hit and spiraled down near Azure.

"Azure! NO!" Azure's mother screamed, but Azure's sister held her back. Azure, who had fallen over from the force of the impact, slowly got up. Arceus lay on the side wall of the Sootopolis boundary, panting slowly. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina continued to fight. Arceus eventually got up and used Flamethrower on the three before rising up and attacking again. Kingdra rose again from the lake and used an Ice Beam on Giratina. Giratina dodged the expertly thrown Ice Beam, however, but it hit Palkia. Palkia's wing froze, causing it to fall in Azure's direction. Azure, running, jumped from the cliff side and fell in the water. Palkia made impact with the ground and rolled over and into the lake as well. Dialga attacked Giratina with Roar of Time, causing shock waves to ripple the water, shooting Palkia and Azure off to the cliff where the Cave of Origin stood. Giratina flew a short distance before falling into the ocean outside of Sootopolis City. People standing on the island in which the Gym stood were in a panic as they tried to push and shove their way into the gym. However, Azure was still in the water.

"My Azure! I have to get him!" Azure's mother shouted, pushing people into the water. Wallace grabbed her and pulled her.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Wallace shouted, pulling her into the gym. Azure's mother screamed in agony before her voice couldn't be heard from the outside. Azure, in a panic, tried to climb the cliff to hide in the Cave of Origin.

"Grrrrooooah!" Palkia roared as it slammed its claw into the cliff. Azure screamed as the Palkia tried to grab him. Azure climbed faster, but when Palkia began to charge for an attack, Dialga slammed into it after being hit by Arceus's Flamethrower. Palkia fell back into the water while Dialga went back into the scuffle. Azure climbed the rest of the way and collapsed at the entrance of the Cave of Origin.

"GYAAAAAH!" Giratina bellowed as it charged for an Aura Sphere. Palkia did the same as it rose from the water for a Spacial Rend attack, and Dialga for Roar of Time. All of their attacks were centered at Arceus, who realized the enormity of this. Arceus surrounded itself with a thick veil. All the attacks fired, and hit Arceus's veil. The veil, however, began to shatter, causing a calamitous explosion. Arceus itself seemed to explode, as Dialga and Giratina were thrust out of the boundary of the city, and Palkia was forced down into the water. The huge explosion destroyed everything in its path as the houses exploded in fire, and the gym was blasted by the explosion. The water rippled furiously and huge tidal waves rose up the cliff and swallowed the barely conscious Azure and the Cave of Origin.

***END FLASHBACK***

The whole house stayed in an ominous silence for a very long time. Azure looked down on the floor as the others may have awed at the story, or cried. Eventually, Yellow broke the silence.

"So...what else happened? Were the people in the gym OK?" Yellow asked. Azure remained silent for a few moments.

"Well...I was unconscious for the next part. I didn't know what happened, but when I woke up, I was floating in the ocean, next to a rock. I saw Dialga and Giratina floating in the ocean as well, and my head was covered in blood. I dove down to try to get back into Sootopolis, and I was especially surprised that I wasn't attacked by any Sharpedo on the way there. When I dove up from underwater, the city was devastated. People were lying unconscious...or dead...in the gym. Palkia lay on the cliff side, and there was a huge hole in the Cave of Origin."

***FLASHBACK***

Azure walked into the destroyed cave, his head pounding in pain. The crater was quite large. Azure walked through the cave; not worrying about the wild Pokémon, for they were most likely scared off by the whole battle and whatever crashed through the roof. When Azure reached the final room, there lay Arceus, battle-scarred and weak. The plates were scattered about the ground, some even smashed into the wall of the cave. Azure ran over to the Arceus, as it panted slowly and painfully.

"Y-you...survived the blow?" Arceus asked through telepathy. Azure, startled by the power, hesitated before nodding yes.

"You...are powerful...to survive such an explosion..." Arceus said hoarsely. Azure slowly stroked the Arceus.

"H-here..." Azure stuttered as he pulled out a Yache Berry, a Coba Berry, a Ganlon Berry, and a Rowap Berry. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and placed the berries on the coat. Azure found a rock on the ground and used it to grind the berries together into a crude liquid. Azure wrapped his coat into a bowl shape and gave it to Arceus.

"It's a soup my mother makes. She's a berry harvester overseas. It's crude when I make it, but I would like you to try. It refreshes me when I drink it," Azure whispered. Arceus sipped the crude soup as Azure held it out. When Arceus was done, it was slightly able to stand.

"It was delicious. I am truly in your debt. Here," Arceus said. A glowing rock appeared before Azure and landed in his palms.

"It is an Azure Flute," Arceus remarked. "Use it to call me, and I will help you. It is the least I could possibly do. Use it wisely, for once you use it, it will break." Azure thanked the Arceus. Arceus picked up its plates before opening a portal to its dimension and disappeared. Azure was beginning to leave when he noticed something shiny lying on the ground. Azure picked it up slowly, for it was heavy. Azure then realized that it was one of Arceus's plates. It was infused with some sort of power, a power that seemed wild and legendary. Azure couldn't fathom what it might be.

"Hey! Arceus! Arceus, you forgot something!" Azure shouted. However, Arceus didn't reappear. Soon enough, the plate began to glow. Azure tried to drop the plate, but his hands wouldn't move. The plate began to infuse with Azure's arm. Azure tried to pull it out, but the plate continued to insert itself into Azure's body. Azure screamed before the plate went completely in and lost from sight. Azure squealed in pain from the plate taking effect on his body, and Azure fell unconscious again.

***END FLASHBACK***


	7. Chapter 7: The Destructive Aftermath

Azure lay resting on his bed quietly while the others muttered about the traumatizing story that Azure had just told. The clouds in the sky began to part and the sun was ablaze above them. Azure, unable to sleep, went out side to the backyard, where he found Yellow tending to his Latios.

"Oh, hi, Azure," Yellow said happily. Azure groggily rubbed his head and stood beside Yellow as she rubbed her fingers through Latios's hair. The Latios was content under her soft fingers.

"These bruises...these are the worst I've ever seen," Yellow remarked, brushing her fingers delicately over Latios's dark blue bruises. The Latios cringed in pain, but Yellow stroked its head, causing it to be content again.

"How did your Latios get into this condition?"

Azure pondered a moment. He remembered arriving in Kanto, and appeared over the Viridian Forest. He also remembered a ray of fire eject from the depths of the forest.

"Well, I was flying over the Viridian Forest, and I saw two trainers...Blue and Sapphire, I think...and they were battling with a Blastoise and Blaziken. It looked like Blaziken was just target practice for the Blastoise, until Blaziken kicked it high up in the air, and used Sky Uppercut..." Azure wondered about what followed. His mind was a little in a scramble.

"Well, I don't blame you for getting you memory mixed up," Yellow giggled. "Besides, you crashed into the ground and sparked a fire, so of course you wouldn't know!" Azure looked at her quizzically. He realized eventually that she was being sarcastic; of course he should know, for he caused so much damage.

"Oh, I get it," Azure said with a slight laugh. "Sarcasm. You remind me of my sister, Yellow. You two would have gotten along well."

"Ha! Thanks," Yellow laughed. "Now, do you remember anything?" Azure thought for a moment.

"Well, I remember the two Pokémon going right in front of me, so I crashed into them..." Azure muttered. Yellow listened with interest. "Then, I saw Blastoise hit the ground, but Blaziken attacked...I think..." Azure scratched his head in wonder.

"Well, I can't remember anything else until Blue and Green showed up," Azure said. "I must have hit my head when landing or something." Yellow giggled again and continued to tend to Latios's wounds. After a few minutes, Latios was up and going.

"I'm amazed," Azure whispered. "How did you..."

"I have a power to heal Pokémon with the brush of my fingers. It's how I got the title of The Healer," Yellow remarked. Azure looked up at the happy Latios, squealing with delight.

"Who is your sister, by the way? And where is she?" Yellow asked. Azure's content expression suddenly changed to a dark and solemn air.

Azure never responded.

***FLASHBACK***

"Azure! Wake up! I beg of you!" Wallace shouted, shaking the unconscious Azure. Azure slowly opened his eyes and groaned in pain. Azure clutched his arm in pain, remembering the plate that had bored into his arm. He looked around, seeing what remained of his hometown. People walked around, dragging pieces of torn metal to the outer edges of the city. People killed by the fierce explosion were dragged and sat on the city walls. The water became murky with blood and metal as bodies of the deceased lay afloat in the water. Azure looked at his surrounding with awe. Upon inspection, he seemed to be in what remained of a hospital. Nurse Joy and her Chansey ran around the area, tending to the wounded. Many lay flat on crude carpets, heavily breathing and slowly dying. Azure was one of them, it felt.

"Thank goodness! You're alive!" Juan shouted happily. Azure moaned at the pain of his skull. After feeling around it, it seemed that it was fractured.

"Juan, don't scare him! He must be terribly traumatized," Wallace barked. Juan backed off as Wallace spoke to Azure.

"Are you OK, sonny? Are you still in pain?" Wallace asked. Azure slowly nodded yes.

"We found you unconscious in the Cave of Origin. How did you end up there?" Wallace asked. Azure tried to speak, but only a hoarse shriek came out. Azure then nodded no.

"What? You didn't end up there?" Wallace asked questioningly. Azure then picked up his good arm and pointed it towards the outside of Sootopolis City. Wallace nodded.

"I see...so you dove back in here, and went into the Cave of Origin. Why'd you go in there?" Wallace asked. Azure tried to speak once more.

"I...Aaaa...eeeee...us..." Azure whispered hoarsely. Wallace looked at him with a puzzled face.

"What? Aeus? What's that?" Wallace asked. Azure nodded no again. Wallace rubbed his forehead.

"Well, we'll ask you again when your voice comes back. But I'd like to ask one more question. What's this?" Wallace asked, holding up the flute that Arceus had given Azure. Azure, panicking, nearly jumped up to try to snatch the flute, but his head pierced him, causing him to fall back on his bed. Wallace jumped.

"Whoa! Now, hold on! We need to figure out what this is, first!" Juan intervened. Azure lay back, loosing the tension in his mind. Wallace took a deep breath and carried on.

"Very well. We'll ask you later. Come, Juan," Wallace said, standing up and moving along.

"W...ait...." Azure shouted painfully. Wallace looked back. Azure's voice was coming back.

"Wh...ere...m....y...mo...ther...si...st...wh...ere...?" Azure asked. Juan crouched down, understanding what he said.

"I...I was afraid that I'd have to be the one to break this to you, but...I'm so sorry..." Juan whispered, stroking Azure's sodden hair. Azure, confused, only continued to stare at Juan with confusion.

"...I...I can't do this, Wallace..." Juan said, clutching his head. Wallace came up to Azure with a sympathetic expression. He crouched down as well.

"Azure, your...mother...she's...she's in a better place now. I'm...I'm sorry..." Wallace murmured. Azure, still young, didn't understand fully. He continued to stare.

"Your...your sister is gone too. I'm so, so sorry."

"I...so...ti..." Azure whispered as he fell into a deep sleep. Wallace and Juan left Azure to clean up the burning wreckage that was once their hometown.

Little did Azure know that his life was going to take a turn for the worse.

In the month that passed, many died of their injuries. The people who survived were transported to the Johto region in a relocation program. Until Sootopolis City returned to its original state, they were all to stay in Johto. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus returned to their dimensions. Azure was given back the Azure Flute soon after the events that took place in the hospital remains, and Azure never used it. Azure was still confused about the whereabouts of his mother and sister, but eventually presumed that they were alive and well, but the left the town for their safety. Although there was no proof to back it up, Azure had to jump to this conclusion. He had nothing else to hold on to.

While many enjoyed their new life in the Johto region, Azure found himself lost. After wandering away from what was supposed to be his new home for the next few years, he ended up in a mountainous area. Azure had left because, after realizing that his parents weren't there, he figured that there was no point in being there.

Traveling for a week, Azure was exhausted and slept in the region. He slept soundly, though he was plagued with dreams that he had never dreamed before. Silhouettes screamed in anger and flew, clashing in the sky and bringing each other down to earth, causing huge bursts of dust with each blow. Azure tossed and turned after a while, until he was woken up. Six children about his age stood in a circle around him, with one grown man with a mask on his face towered over him.

"State your name," the towering man shouted monotonously. Azure tried to scuttle away, but his arm refused to move. The arm in which the plate had inserted itself had swollen severely, but to an extent that seemed very irregular. The veins bulged out and pulsated at unsteady beats. It was as if it had a life of its own.

"Shall we have him...eliminated?" said a relentless looking boy with purple hair. The masked man held his hand out in objection.

"No...something...intrigues me...come, children. Blue, Silver, constrain him," the man said in his creepy, monotonous voice. The four others walked alongside him while two of the six held his arms. While they walked without talking, yet they seemed the closest to sympathetic to him. They walked up the mountain and Azure slumped in the two children's arms without objection. Azure was too weak.

His life ended as he knew it.

*END FLASHBACK*


	8. Chapter 8: There's No Place Like Hoenn!

Author's Note:

Thank you SO much for hanging on. After much awaited time, Chapter 8 is finally up. I guess I should explain further.

The past week, there's been MAJOR (stress that word) testing going on, along with projects, essays, reading classical novels, etc. etc. (God, I just _loved_ Anne Frank. Can't believe I got through the whole thing without falling asleep. Just my opinion, really.) Anyhow, it should be noted that I've been very busy, so I hope you readers will forgive me for hanging you in suspense for long. But enough about my life; it's time to enter the life of Azure again.

I decided to stray away from the Kanto region for a little...so we're now in the Hoenn region! More character revelations! And...other...stuff. But I shouldn't say more; you guys can read for yourself. I read a lot for myself too (see above paragraph if you didn't want that whole explanation of my own life.)

Anyway, that's done. I'll try not to keep you in suspense for that long. Just wait till June...I'll be uploading faster...

...promise!

Yours truly, pokemax34.

"Excuse me, young lady, but you need a ticket to board..." A woman stood beside the S.S. Tidal as another, teenaged girl was boarding the vessel without a ticket. The girl had long, navy blue hair that covered her eyes completely. She stared emotionlessly at the irritable woman, who grabbed her arm at the wrist and would not let go.

"May I see your ticket, please?" the woman urged, shaking her arm. The girl pulled her arm away without haste and batted her down. The girl ran into the ferry without a stall as the woman got her bearings. Looking around, the girl was nowhere to be seen, and the dock was closed off too. Without a doubt that the girl had boarded the ship, she took out a walkie-talkie and spoke to the captain hurriedly.

"There's a stowaway on board!" the woman reported. "Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT leave the dock!"

"Yes, ma'am. We are postponing departure until the stowaway is identified. Do not worry, we are prepared to go through great precautions to capture this individual," the captain responded officially. The woman turned the walkie-talkie off and blocked the entrance to the ferry, in case the girl made an escape attempt.

"ATTENTION ALL PASSANGERS," called the captain over the loud speaker on board. All the passengers ceased their activity and directed their attention to the loudspeaker, which was booming with orders from the captain. "BE AWARE OF A GIRL IN HER TEENAGE YEARS THAT LOOKS SUSCPICIOUS. SHE IS A STOWAWAY. WE ARE NOT, I REPEAT, NOT LEAVING DOCK UNTIL THIS STOWAWAY IS CAPTURED. THANK YOU FOR YOU ATTENTIVENESS." The passengers groaned with annoyance and returned to their rooms to occupy themselves. As the others trudged back to their cabins, one boy remained. All that was left on the main deck was that boy, from Sinnoh, Diamond. He leaned on the walls of the ship, half asleep. After a few minutes of sleeping, not noticing anything except something being dragged into the engine room, another voice boomed on the loudspeaker. This time, it was a more monotonous, dreary voice:

"All passengers...attention...captured...stowaway thank patience...you we capture it...leave now, we do...you thank...I mean...thank you...heh heh...snore..." The loudspeakers suddenly shut off and the ship lurched forward, out of the docks of Lilycove City.

Diamond had returned to his half-awake, half-asleep state when the girl with the navy blue hair stepped out of the engine room, a Masquerain perched on her head. Diamond remained the only other person outside of the cabins, half snoring out of boredom. Awoken by the sudden noise from the engine room, Diamond stared calmly at the girl, who stared back quizzically. Diamond's eyes began to lower again as he fell back into his tired state.

"Um...are you..." the girl asked oddly. She walked slowly towards the dozing Diamond, waving her hands in front of his face. "Anyone...home?" Diamond's head lurched up suddenly, his forehead smashing against her nose. The girl stuttered backwards, the Masquerain flying up in surprise.

"Gah! What's wrong with you!" she flared. Diamond remained sleepy. He rubbed his forehead slowly and slept again without much hesitation, or apology. The girl marched up to him and smacked him across the face multiple times.

"Hello! Aren't you going to apologize?" she yelled. Diamond's head lurched up again, smacking her nose again, causing her to stutter backwards again, causing Masquerain to jump up again. Diamond seemed fully awake this time, as he rubbed his forehead more than before and began to moan in pain.

"...Meh?" Diamond groaned inaudibly. The girl stood there, arms crossed, waiting impatiently for Diamond to apologize. Diamond simply sat, continuing to rub his head.

"...Do you want something?" Diamond asked. The girl, who just about had enough of Diamond's innocent blathering, waved her arms in a frenzy and screamed, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" The girl finally sat down, head fuming, and pouted.

"Never mind, I guess!" the girl replied. Diamond rubbed his sore cheeks now, staring harmlessly.

"Well, sorry, whatever I did. Now, if you don't mind..." Diamond yawned and cuddled his head against the wall again and slept. The girl, who had finally calmed, called her Masquerain into its Pokéball and left the boy in peace.

"Wait!"

The girl swerved around to find Diamond awake once more. She smiled nervously.

"Who...are you, anyway? And are you the stowaway?" Diamond asked, still looking drowsy. The girl looked around apprehensively, then whispered into Diamond's ear.  
"My name is Cobal. Yes, I'm the stowaway. Don't tell anybody though...I'm here for something important." She pulled her head away from Diamond, who stared as if that didn't shock him. He smiled.

"Alright, Kibble, your secret's safe with me..." Diamond replied.

"It's Cobal," she replied, but by the time, Diamond was already out like a light. She smiled and walked into a vacant cabin.

The next morning, when Cobal awoke, Slateport City was in sight. She remained in her cabin, staring out the open porthole. Looking up, she saw a flock of frightened Wingull fly towards the city in the cloudless sky, as another, larger, red Pokémon flew through the flock. Cobal stretched her tired arms and left the cabin as the bells sounded, marking the time to leave the vessel. As she looked around the corner, she saw Diamond, fully asleep , despite the abundance of people walking past, chattering mindless chatter, and talking about meaningless tasks. Cobal nudged Diamond, but showed no signs of waking up. She stood and walked towards the exit of the ship as it lurched again and eventually stopped. As Cobal exited the ship, she saw the vast Slateport City from within. The buildings towered around her, and heard excited shouts from the children. Market people screamed at passing pedestrians, waving their merchandise in the air in a vain attempt to sell it. Walking along, she stopped at the beach, where a vast sea lay before her.

"Hey! Yes you!" a loud, sudden voice shouted as the speaker grabbed Cobal by the hair. Screaming in pain, she spun around and slapped the young boy that stood behind her. The boy fell down into the sand, wailing in pain. Soon, the red Pokémon from before attacked Cobal as it blocked the wailing boy from harm. As the wind, blown by the Pokémon's wings, picked her and the sand up, she was thrown into the water. she arose quickly, but was covered with sodden sand. The red Pokémon, a Latias, squealed with rage. Cobal picked herself up, under the weight of her wet skirt and shirt. The Latias glared at her as she walked up to the boy who so rudely assaulted her.

"Hey...are you all right?" she asked. The boy pulled himself up, steaming.

"No! I'm not!" the boy seethed.

'Hey, calm down, man..." Diamond appeared. He pulled the boy's ear, and he wailed in pain again.

"Not funny!" the tiny boy shouted, rubbing his ears. "Now, listen good, 'cause this is important. Have you seen a boy with a Latios anywhere?"

"No, I haven't...why?" Cobal asked. The boy seethed again.

"Because some kid just attacked me and stole my friend Latios! It's an outrage!" the boy screamed. Diamond pulled his ear again.

"Calm down...Kibble's got enough problems already, being a stowaway and all," Diamond said calmly. Cobal instantly snapped and screeched at Diamond.

"FIRST, my name's not Kibble, it's COBAL! Second, I thought I told you NOT to talk about me being a stowaway!" Cobal screamed. Diamond wasn't moved.

"Jeez, you both need chill pills..." Diamond soothed, shrugging his shoulders. The little boy glared at him, then redirected his attention to Cobal.

"Well, now that THAT'S out of the way, I might as well introduce myself. My name is..." Suddenly, trumpets blared and confetti spewed from the boy's baggy sleeves.

"EMERALD!" An artificial applause sounded from the trumpets within his sleeves. Cobal and Diamond stared, as if Emerald were stupid. Although that _was_ what they thought, anyhow.

"Ok..." Cobal replied to his introduction nervously. "Well, I have somewhere to be...so..." Emerald stopped her in her tracks.

"Oh no you don't!" Emerald seethed angrily. "I'm coming with you. You seemed suspicious, right from the start...especially that whole stowaway thing." Cobal glared annoyingly at Diamond, who backed away slowly.

"Ok, fine. Diamond, you stay." Cobal said. Diamond looked at her, shockingly and upset.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Diamond screamed. "TAKE ME WITH YOU!" Cobal sighed hesitantly.

"Fine. Just no more of that stowaway business and calling me Kibble. Ok?" Diamond nodded.

"You got it, Kibble!"

Cobal sighed.

"This could get some getting used to," Cobal thought.


	9. Chapter 9: An Electrifying Experience

"Go that way, it leads to..."

"Oh, shut up, Diamond, it's clearly the wrong path..."

"Oh, so wading the river's a good idea?"

"No, fool, that was your idea! I said to go up north!"

"There's a river up there!"

"No! That's in the east!"

The typical everyday clash between Diamond and Emerald had broken out once more, with Cobal stuck right in the middle. "Who knew," Cobal thought, "that this was going to happen to me? Oh, right. Me. Well, good job, Cobal. You really did yourself a favor on this one."

"I tell you, the river is in the north!" Emerald shouted. "You have your directions all mixed up, Diamond!"

"Oh really? Kibble, which way's the river?" Diamond asked.

"I tell you, my name's not Kibble!" Cobal screamed for what seemed to be the thirty-fourth time.

"Oh," Diamond said. After this bland statement, an extensive stillness lay before them.

"Well, anyways, I guess we should ask someone for help..." Cobal said nervously. The three then walked along, hopelessly lost in Mauville City.

"Wahaha! Oh, hilarious, Surge, that you should say that!" Wattson happily shouted. "I was thinking of holding our first committee gathering over at Volkner's place!"

"Now Wattson, I honestly don't find myself obliged to hold it in Sunyshore. It is quite far, and you are the one who called us here. If anything, dear Wattson, we should be holding our conference here in Mauville."

"Wah?" Wattson shouted quizzically. "Whay? Erm...why? In this town! Hah! Couldn't vision of it! Lt. Surge, your location seems rather appropriate as well!"

"What! No! Vermillion City is no place for a commission like this!" Lt. Surge objected. "I think we should keep a low profile, after the insanity we're always put through. Had enough of _that_ back when _I _was an army man. And even more of that when I was in Team Rocket."

"Wah? Wawawah? R-really! You sure, Lieutenant? Very well, I guess...Mauville City it is!" Wattson declared. Volkner and Lt. Surge concurred, but were bumped into by the three lost children.

"WAAAAAH!" Emerald squealed, horrified. "SAVE ME!" Emerald quickly ducked around an equally horrified Cobal.

"EEEEEK!" Diamond screamed. "SAVE ME KIBBLE!" Cobal, too shocked to correct Diamond, stared horrifically at the giant, buff army man known as Lt. Surge.

"YOU! State your business!" Lt. Surge boomed as he picked Cobal up without a sweat. Cobal, squirming, shrieked deafeningly and fainted due to dread.

"Surge, look what you did! Didn't I tell you not to frighten children!" Wattson shouted, chastising Lt. Surge. Surge little by little put Cobal down onto the ground, and almost instantaneously, Diamond and Emerald ran with utmost swiftness to the nearest potential sanctuary. Volkner nervously shrugged.

"Well...I guess we should go after them...?"

"Waah! NO! If we were to give chase, they'd scuttle away again for sure!" Wattson objected. Lt. Surge and Wattson stared expectingly at the clueless Volkner.

"Ur...fine, I'll go..." Volkner muttered. He then walked away from the two Gym Leaders, who headed towards the Mauville Gym.

"Gasp...I think we lost them..." Emerald panted, his sleeves bagging over his arms more than usual from running so much. Diamond took off his hat and blew wind onto his head to cool down.

"Uh...Kibble's passed out..." Diamond said, uncertain what to do.

"It's Cobal, fool," Emerald corrected. "Anyhow, do you have no idea where we are?" Diamond looked around. They were in a narrow alleyway pedestrians walking up and down the busy sidewalks. There seemed not to be any sign of the Gym Leaders they encountered before.

Until suddenly...

"Hey, what happe-" Volkner started, but Diamond and Emerald jumped in fear and ran across the alleyway, dragging the unconscious Cobal along the concrete.

"Raichu, get 'em back!" Volkner called, throwing the Pokéball. Raichu popped out, and shocked the runaway boys with a Thunderbolt. The two runaways fell flat on the ground by the shock, and Cobal retrieved her bearings.

"What on earth?" Cobal shrieked. "Why am I over here? And where did I get this bruise on my head?" Volkner walked up to Cobal, who was sitting on the shocked and dazed boys.

"Hello, I am Volkner. From...before, remember?" Volkner said. Cobal nodded.

"Well, sorry about Lt. Surge. He needs to calm down...here, I'll take you to Wattson's gym and we'll help you out there. As for your friends..." Volkner pointed at the two laying boys, still twitching from the shock.

"Well, anyhow, I'd like you to come with me. Wattson's gym is a short distance away, so don't worry about tiring out. And don't worry about Lt. Surge...we got him under control. Come along." Volkner walked towards the exit as Cobal trudged behind, dragging Emerald and Diamond across the pavement.

"Drake, we have not far to go to reach our destination. If you look ahead, Cinnabar Island isn't very far." Drake stood on the front of the ship, gazing ahead at the smoke rising from Cinnabar's active volcano and the small town beside it.

"Yes, good. I believe a little rest on Cinnabar Island should get Salamence back in check...he's been so restless these days..." Drake muttered. Suddenly, the winds picked up, rocking the boat from side to side. Soon enough, a Skarmory blew past the ship, Winona on top of it.

"Ah! Winona! It's good to see you," Drake called. Winona landed her Skarmory on the ship, apprehensive about something.

"It seems that you and I had the same idea in mind," Winona said. Drake nodded.

"Is your Pokémon restless?"

"I'm afraid so. My Altaria...in its sleep, it tosses and turns more than usual. It also flies for days on end without ever coming down."

"Hah! You have it easy. My Salamence broke out of its Pokeball and caused a rampage in Victory Road! Whole front end is blasted off!" Drake shouted comically. Winona nodded.

"Well, yes, but I'm quite concerned. It seems so out of the ordinary..." Winona muttered. Drake nodded, then looked out at Cinnabar Island, coming closer and closer.

"Soon, we shall have this ordeal over. Just watch."

"Well, as much as I'd like to believe you..." Winona objected. "I can't believe that some therapy can just fix the problem! It seems much too out of the ordinary...too extraordinary if you ask me..."

"Well, we'll have our answers. Soon, Winona, soon..."


	10. Chapter 10: You're Hot, Then You're Cold

*Author's Note*  
Thank you for standing by, and Chp.10 of Blue Phoenix is now up! Thank you for your patience and make sure to read my new fanfic, "Green Grass Academy"!  
That's all this time, so see you next time!

"Wait…what!" Cobal screamed as she attempted to understand the situation. "So…you Gym Leaders formed a secret clan? Why?"

"Well, you see…" Lt. Surge began to explain. "We've seen some strange and disturbing weather recently. It's been bothering us. Gym Leaders from around the globe each formed their own clan in certain cities. Ours is located here in Mauville City."

"What kind of weather? I haven't seen anything strange," Emerald stated with a tone of suspicion.

"It hasn't been very urgent here…the Hoenn region has been quite lucky so far. But other places have been seeing very peculiar weather. Even the Weather Institute near Fortree City is dumbfounded by all of this, and the Castform there has been behaving strangely. We have reason to believe that Groudon and Kyogre have something to do with this, but we have no report of any turbulence in Sootopolis City, or any other place related to them," Wattson explained. Cobal nodded in wonder, but Emerald was still not convinced.

"Why does it have to be secret?" Emerald asked. Volkner nodded slowly and replied: "If this is something brought on by Groudon or Kyogre, it is likely that Team Aqua or Team Magma might have something to do with it as well, and if we were to break the existence of our clan to them, then they would most likely come for us soon."

Diamond nodded as he shoved some food that was laid out for him into his mouth. "Vewy…intwesting," Diamond tried to say with a full mouth.

"I see…but one more thing…what kinds of evidence is in the other regions that there is weird weather?" Cobal inquired.

"Well, in Kanto, we've gotten reports from Blaine that the Seafoam Islands' weather is cold enough to freeze the surrounding ocean, causing a minor enlarging of the islands' borders. Also, in Sinnoh, there was slight glacier production in the seaway between Canalave City and Iron Island. That's all that we've noticed, other than the erratic behavior of Castform and Cherrim as well."

Emerald continued being skeptical about the matter. He was intolerant about the situation, and it seemed that he didn't care altogether.

"Well, are you done speaking rubbish?" Emerald shouted with disdain. "because if you please, we are trying to get somewhere. Where that place is, I don't know, but if you want to be helpful, tell us which way the river is."

"Emerald…" Cobal whispered. Emerald glared at Volkner with a certain dislike. Volkner stared back at him, but kept his composure. Wattson and Lt. Surge waited patiently.

"Well, are you done?" Emerald asked. Volkner calmly sighed.

"Yes. You may leave. Go," Volkner said sadly. Emerald left Wattson's gym without a word. Cobal and Diamond remained behind. Emerald looked back, now glaring at Cobal and Diamond.

"So you're staying, huh?" Emerald growled. "Fine then. I'll leave, you stay. I suppose there'd be no point in you coming with me…I've been too much of a burden, haven't I?" Cobal stood up.

"Emerald, please! You don't have to do this, just take a deep breath and calm down…"

"And for what! I feel like you two are shackling me! Since I went with you, you two have been antagonizing me on everything, and I, for one, am sick of it! I'm leaving, so long, farewell!" With that, Emerald shut the door and screamed. Cobal stared at the closed door, and Diamond continued to shove rice ball after rice ball into his mouth. Volkner, Wattson, and Lt. Surge sat, flabbergasted, until a phone rang. Wattson got up to go get the phone.

"Emerald…" Cobal whispered. "Why?"

"Lt. Surge! Volkner! Diamond, Cobal! Come here, quickly!" The four ran into the room, while Wattson stood, sweating with absolute fear. He could hardly hold the phone straight.

"Hold on…" Wattson stuttered. "Let me turn on picture-phone, so you can see the rest of us…" He attached the phone to the computer and turned it on. When the screen flashed on, Flannery was seen, with Blaine running around, doing research on many computers.

"What's going on!" Cobal shouted, frightened. Wattson turned to her and broke the news. His face was pale with shock and his body, overall, was shaking with apprehension.

"Snow…there's…snow…" Wattson whispered. Cobal looked back quizzically.

"Snow…where?" Cobal asked. Wattson inhaled quickly, licked his lips, and tried again.

"Snow…" Wattson passed out from shock. Cobal shrieked until Flannery made her shut up.

"There's snow on Mt. Chimney!" Flannery shouted. "I don't know how, but it's snowing up here! Blaine's trying to diagnose the problem but…" Suddenly, the phone rang again on Flannery's side. She picked up the phone and connected it to the computer, and a picture instantly lit up. On half of the screen remained Flannery, and on the other half was Candice.

"C-Candice! What's happening over there?" Volkner cried. Candice had a look of fear on her face as well.

"Volkner! Am I glad to see that the connections are still working…listen! Pryce is here, and we're snowed in the Gym! The doors won't work, and our Pokemon are all tuckered out. According to the other people living here, they're all snowed in. Even the Snowpoint Temple's entrance has been frozen shut!" Candice said. Then, turning to Flannery, she continued: "Flannery, Blaine, we need you to come over to Snowpoint as soon as possible! If you don't, we may be stuck here permanently!" Flannery nodded.

"Understood, Candice. Stay put," Flannery said. Candice nodded and turned to Volkner. She suddenly turned red in the face and her voice slightly faltered.

"Um…Volkner, if you don't mind…would you help out too…?" Candice asked, shyly. Volkner, slightly taken aback, hesitated a moment before nodding.

"All right, Candice, I'll come too. Wattson and Lt. Surge will come along as well," Volkner stated. Candice nodded, smiling. She shut off her phone, and Flannery once again took the whole screen.

"Cobal and Diamond, you two will have to investigate Mt. Chimney, if you don't mind," Volkner said. The two nodded and left quickly.

"Now be careful."

"You want to go up to Mt. Chimney? I don't know, the conditions up there are very abnormal. Did you hear?" the cable car woman asked. Cobal nodded, stating that this was a dire emergency. The lady faltered before letting them in. The cable car screeched for a moment before finally heading upwards to the peak of Mt. Chimney.

As the two rose higher and higher up the mountain, they noticed that the cable car was beginning to screech more and more. Unlike the usual ash that fell from the heat of Mt. Chimney, there was snow. They didn't realize it at first, but before they could even notice, the cable car stopped moving.

"Huh? Why'd we stop?" Diamond wondered. Cobal looked around, the headed for the control panel. There were many blinking lights, all, presumably, having a different function. But there were no labels as to what meant what or which the right one to push was. Cobal looked closely. No labels, blinking lights. Oh, if only she knew what to push, she thought.

Suddenly, Diamond came in with a note of serious impatience. He quickly pressed a green blinking button. Nothing happened. He then pressed the red, unblinking button. The green one stopped blinking but the red one did, but that was the only difference. Trying other buttons, he realized that the other buttons did nothing if the red button flashed. He clicked the green one again, reversing the effect of the red one. Slowly, he pressed the green button again, but held his finger there. The cable car screeched loudly beyond belief, but Diamond dare not let go of that button. The cable car slowly began to climb forward again, but screeched louder than a toddler with a toothache. Also, its minimal speed made the screeching less endurable.

And then it happened.

The cable car slowly but surely began to drift backwards. Diamond and Cobal fell backwards with the cable car. It gained more and more speed until finally, the cord snapped. The cable car detached from the cable and tumbled down the mountain. The intense shaking of the car threw Cobal and Diamond around until finally, it reached the bottom of the mountain. By the time it came to a stop, Diamond and Cobal were trapped inside a burning, twisted mass of metal.

About 10 minutes after the collision, Cobal's eyes opened. She coughed a hoarse cough and tried to wriggle herself out. Her arm, trapped inside a bit of metal, was twisted oddly. After 5 minutes of attempting to squirm her way out, she finally escaped. Her arm wasn't broken; it was merely twisted. It would heal. Cobal looked back at the burning pile that was once a cable car, then, dove under to search for Diamond.

"Diamond! Where are you! Are you all right?" Cobal screamed, fear making her words tremble. There was no response. Cobal reached her good arm in the metal pile and tried to search for Diamond. She hit many jagged pieces of metal, so each time she pulled her arm out, her hand was more and more bloody.

"Diamond! Please respond!" Cobal continued. No signs emerged. She didn't stick her hand in again; it was mangled and stung more than a Beedrill's sting. Cobal, becoming less and less hopeful of Diamond's fate, decided to put the flame out first. She sent out her Lumineon, and it used Hydro Pump to put the flames out. Then, she sent a shiny Gardevoir out. With Psychic, the metal pile was separated.

Cobal returned Lumineon and Gardevoir back to their Pokeballs. The twisted metal was all set aside, and Diamond was lying, unconscious, with his shirt ripped at ends and his skin torn to the flesh. His clothes were burnt to the very maximum, charred and black spots covered the entire clothing. Deep cuts ran through his head, making it appear as a circular ball of muscle and bone. But, fortunately, despite all of his injuries, he was alive. Cobal felt his neck; she could feel the steady thump of the heart. His chest inflated and deflated as he breathed quickly, but enough to keep air flow.

"Someone! Help! My friend needs a doctor! Somebody help! Anybody!" Cobal screamed. Diamond shifted in her arms and finally opened his eyes. His eyes, unlike his full blue eyes that she had seen before, had become a lifeless, monotonous gray filled with a melancholy that Cobal had never experienced before. Diamond spoke softly.

"Cobal…I'm…so sorry…this is all my fault…" Diamond whispered, agony piercing through Cobal's mind like a butcher knife. "If I hadn't pressed that button…you'd be safe…"

"Don't be absurd! We have to get you to a doctor, and fast!" Cobal said. Diamond faltered.

"It's no use…just leave me here…" Diamond pleaded. Cobal refused, and sat there, holding him and would continue to hold him to the ends of time if she had to.

And looking from afar, a short boy, a boy who had walked by their side not too long ago, watched, along with a Regice, the damage and pain that he caused.

And next to him stood a man that was regaining his power to wreck the world.


End file.
